Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Wow Nearly 3 Million people at Uganda, Martyrs' Day in Africa - with Pilgrims from around the World!

Pilgrims gathered at the Catholic Shrine of the Ugandan Martyrs during their annual Feast. They came by plane, by bus, and on foot: pilgrims traveled for days/weeks to Uganda's Catholic shrine for the feast of the Uganda Martyrs, celebrated each year June 3.The feast of the Uganda Martyrs honors 24 Catholic martyrs from the country, 22 of whom were killed between 1885 and 1887 under King Mwanga of Buganda, and two others who were killed in 1918 in Northern Uganda. Their leader St. Charles Lwanga instructed his friends in the Catholic Faith and he personally baptized boy pages. He inspired and encouraged his companions to remain chaste and faithful. He protected his companions, ages 13-30, from the immoral acts and homosexual demands of the Babandan ruler, Mwanga.During the homily, Archbishop John Baptist Odama, of Gulu, challenged Ugandans to follow the example of the youngest of the Martyrs -St. Kizito, who even at the age of 13 years, chose to obey God rather than an earthly King. The theme of this year’s Martyrs Day was, “Obey God always and everywhere.”They gathered at the Basilica of the Uganda Martyrs in Namugongo, with most from Uganda, and many came from other countries, including Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Japan, and the United States.